Ericsson Wins Thuraya Core Deal

STOCKHOLM -- Mobile satellite services operator Thuraya has selected Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) as the sole vendor for its circuit-switched core network. Under the agreement, Ericsson will upgrade the Thuraya circuit-switched core network, implement an advanced billing mediation solution and provide support services for five years. Ahmed Ali Al Shamsi, Chief Technology Officer at Thuraya, says: "As a global leader in mobile satellite services, we take pride in our network, which offers the best quality services in the industry. It is important that we can maintain a high level of network availability and can offer our customers the highest quality voice and data communication services. Ericsson's innovative solutions and our vision to provide customers with the best possible connectivity will help us achieve our long-term expansion goals. We have selected Ericsson as our partner to upgrade our circuit-switched core network and maintain our highly stable and reliable network." Thuraya's satellite network has always provided consistent connectivity in remote locations. The core network upgrade - including a hardware upgrade of Thuraya's Mobile Switching Center (MSC), and hardware and software enhancements for the Home Location Register (HLR), Operation Support Systems (OSS) and Multi Mediation platform - will give subscribers greater access to telecommunication services wherever they are and provide Thuraya with additional capacity to handle future growth. Ericsson AB